US$9bn needed to finance climate adaptation strategies

GOVERNMENT has urged adoption of climate adaptation strategies across the spectrum to mitigate against the adverse impact of environmental shocks on the key sectors of the economy.

This comes at a time when the country has adopted proactive policies and crafted strategies that seek to cushion the productive sectors with a focus on harnessing innovative approaches that ensure sustainability.

Under this drive, Zimbabwe requires an estimate US$9 billion to finance climate change mitigation priorities mainly in the agriculture sector, which is the anchor of the economy, as well as other critical sectors such as infrastructure development and tourism.

Zimbabwe and the rest of the world have recently experienced the adverse impacts of climate change, which refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

Speaking at the Africa Adaptation Summit in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Monday, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Barbara Rwodzi called for collective efforts in tackling climate change challenges including at regional level.

“Climate change shocks directly impact all sectors of the economy in Zimbabwe with severe implications on the country’s development progress and poverty reduction efforts,” said Deputy Minister Rwodzi.

“The agriculture, natural environment, tourism and hospitality industries are important economic sectors as major foreign currency earners that are vulnerable to current and projected increases in erratic rainfall and recurrent droughts and other climate shocks.

“This calls for urgent enhanced climate change adaptation interventions across the entire African continent be adequately financed, implemented, and monitored.”

Rwodzi told the high-level gathering that Zimbabwe was responding proactively to climate change through policies, strategies and action plans at national, sub-national, and sectoral planning levels.

She made reference to the Government’s National Development Strategy (NDS1: 2021-25), which mainstreams climate change across all its thematic areas.

The “Environmental Protection, Climate Resilience and Natural Resources Management” focus, for example, sets a sectorial outcome of improved climate action.

Furthermore, a National Climate Policy is in place and is complemented by sectoral policies on agriculture, disaster risk management, renewable energy, and biofuels towards enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

“Zimbabwe National Climate Change Response Strategy estimates a financial requirement of US$9 billion for implementing its climate change priorities,” said the Deputy Minister.

As part of global climate change mitigation commitments, Zimbabwe submitted its revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2021, committing to an economy-wide 40 percent per capita emissions reduction target by 2030.

“The revised NDC has an adaptation component, which prioritises four areas namely (i) early warning and disaster risk reduction (ii) climate smart agriculture (iii) climate resilient infrastructure development and (iv) sustainable water resources development and management,” said Deputy Minister Rwodzi.

“Work has progressed towards the development of Zimbabwe’s NDC Implementation Plan and the National Adaptation Plan, which are both expected to be completed this year.”

She said climate change is also being main-streamed in developmental planning and budgeting process with support from the Green Climate Fund NAP Readiness Programme.

“Treasury in its budget call circulars is calling on all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to mainstream climate change in all projects and programme budget submissions. This has seen increased budget allocations for climate action,” she said.

However, Rwodzi said domestic public resources remain insufficient to deliver the vision of a low carbon and climate resilient Zimbabwe and appealed for enhanced multi-lateral and bilateral climate finance and other innovative financing models to support adaptation ambitions of the country and the entire African region.

“It’s, therefore, imperative that COP27 produces the desired outcomes on long-term climate finance to support the attainment of the Global Goal on Adaptation as set out in the Paris Agreement and expected to be fully operationalised through the Glasgow-Sharm el Sheik Work Programme on Adaptation,” she said.

The Deputy Minister also revealed that Zimbabwe was earmarked to benefit from the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme (AAAP) upstream facility leveraging $150 million working with the African Development Bank in the regional Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Zambezi Basin (PIDACC ZM) currently being developed.-chronicle.cl.zw